Gluten Free Food Reviews

Yes, my blog has a different look- again! I am hoping this will be my temporary look until I can get a designer to help me tweak it just the way I want. I know it is a little, well, boring, but at least I can post reviews again.

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Amy’s gluten free pizza is found in the frozen foods section, and I wanted to compare it to Glutino’s spinach and feta pizza that I just LOVE ( as soon as I can find it locally, a review will definitely be posted!). This medium sized pizza could feed about two hungry people and cost $6.19. Kind of pricey, but I hoped it was worth it.

Well, right away I was disappointed. the actual pizza fresh from the box seemed to lack cheese in a huge way- much less coverage than I expected. But really, I guess I shouldn’t bee too surprised, since most packaging tried to make the product look good enough to buy it. I guess I was a sucker it his regard.

After i baked the pizza for 13 minutes, I noticed a strong garlic scent. Hmm, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all . . .

. . .or, maybe it was.

The crust on this Amy’s gluten free pizza tasted mealy and coarse, although it baked very soft, comparable to a warm slice of rice bread with a touch of crispness on the outer edges thanks to a touch of olive oil.

The toppings boasted an overpowering fresh spinach flavor with tangy tomato sauce. So-so- flavor -not super yummy, but definitely edible. The soy based mozzarella and ricotta cheeses were just “OK” as well, si nce i am used to the flavor of dairy based cheeses. The pizza could definitely use more cheese since it seemed more like a garnish than an actual topping. The cheese also requires broiling for it to really melt and cook. The funny thing is, I thought this pizza tasted better cold than fresh from the oven.

Overall, this pizza was average for a gluten free pizza. I would eat it if I were really hungry, but I wouldn’t consider it a staple in my freezer for a quick meal option. I guess I am just really picky.

PROS: fresh topping flavors, 8 grams of protein per serving, 4 grams of fiber

CONS: crust is too soft and coarse, high in fat- 20 grams per serving

Rating: 3 stars

Since the ingredient list so sooo long, click HERE to view it and see the packaging as well!

To purchase this pizza, your best bet is to check your local grocery store’s natural foods section or a local natural foods store.
Read what PaperGirl, Lisa B. from Vegsource.com, Ken from Vgean Lunchcast, Roseann from Supervegan, Jenny from LivingVegan, and Jim from EZ GFCF have to say about this gluten free pizza product!

Also, feel free to check out my review on Amy’s Rice Crust Cheese pizza!

Once upon a time I made a mean teriyaki stir fry. Really- I loved it. Then my need to eat gluten free got in the way. Bye bye soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, kung pow sauce- the asian inspired sauces I loved were not on my gluten free “approved list.” It was almost a year before I even realized there was gluten free soy sauce and 17 months before I tasted it. Yum. So, when I spied this Amy’s Teriyaki Bowl frozen meal for $4.89 at my local grocery store, I had to give it a try.

 This is what it looked like straight from the box. Not bad, eh? I was thrilled to find all those veggies on top.

I opted to cook this gluten free teriyaki meal in the mircrowave for five minutes, There are directions on the box for an oven method- however, it requires a whopping 50 minutes in the oven. Uh, no thanks!

This is the “after” shot. Again, not bad.

Like other Amy’s Bowls, the vegetables turn out perfectly cooked- tender but not soggy. The peppers seemed to disappear, but at least the green beans and broccoli tasted good. The rice was cooked OK, but seemed too chewy for my taste.

The sauce tasted sweet and tangy with just a hint of spice. However, when the sauce, vegetables, tofu and rice combined, all I could taste was the sauce. I felt pretty disappointed because I actually like the taste of the rice and distinct vegetables- losing that made me feel like I was just eating a bowl of teriyaki, not a meal that had teriyaki as an ingredient. I know my opinion may not be a popluar one, since I have read many positive reviews of this gluten free product. I guess I differ on this one due to personal taste. It is a good gluten free product, but probably not one I would buy again for a while.

This would also make a great and healthier cloice for lunch at work- it boasts a mere 4.5 grams of fat, 10 grams of protein and 290 calories.

Pros: healthier lunch choice, lots of veggies, cooks evenly

CONS: sauce overpowers the rice and vegetable flavors

Rating: 4 stars

Where Can I Buy This Product?

WellnessGrocer.com

Read what Rebecca at VegFamily.com has to say about Amy’s Teriyaki Bowl!

Click HERE for nutritional information and ingredient list

Yummmmm, a steaming hot bowl of pasta on a chilly November afternoon. Sounds good to me! As I go about my cleaning and errands during the day, I sometimes keep a frozen gluten free product in the freezer to cook up while I put away groceries or get ready to pay bills. Brown rice pasta is something I have grown to love, and enjoy to even more than the gluten pasta I used to consume. It’s lighter, more flavorful and just tastes GOOD. On one particularly chilly day, I popped one of Amy’s gluten free Baked Ziti Bowls in the microwave for five minutes. You can also bake it in the oven for 55 minutes, but really, who wants to wait that long for something that is supposed to be a convenience food? Each bowl is one serving size.

This is what the pasta bowl looked liked fresh from the freezer:

To my surprise, it actually looked pretty good. A sprinkling of soy cheese graced the top of the noodles with green peas peeking out on the sides. However, it didn’t look that good for long:

Wasn’t there soy cheese on there? Where are the peas? I felt a bit nervous at the scary site- the way the soy cheese cooked with the organic tomato sauce didn’t look tasty at all. Stirring the ziti helped a bit. And, it did smell realllly good!

 The yummy smelling sauce was thick, nicely seasoned, and complimented the ziti noodles with just a touch of sweetness. The addition of soy ricotta, garlic and olive oil were simply scrumptious. However, the noodles cooked unevenly in the bowl; some noodles tasted perfectly cooked, while others were dense and chewy, and not pleasant to eat. The peas cooked nicely without mushiness and held their shape well. However, I am not sure that the peas really complimented the sauce- the peas almost seemed out of place when it came to flavor. I wished the peas weren’t in there at all. But, that may be because I am not used to adding peas to my pasta.

Overall, it is a decent gluten free product that would be great for a quick lunch idea.

PROS: great flavor and aroma, tasty sauce, organic ingredients, non dairy

CONS: noodles cooked unevenly, we want more soy cheese Amy’s! ( it disappeared!), appearance doesn’t look good after cooking

Rating: 4 stars

You can buy this product from Wellnessgrocer.com or in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. This link also lists ingredients.

Read what Cybele of the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook says about this product!!

It’s been a while . . . almost a week and a half since my last review frozen foods review- uugggh. Now that my busy/crazy comittments are past, I am back on the GF review bandwagon. I also had high hopes of reviewing a great pie crust mix- Cause You’re Special Homestyle Gluten-Free Pie Crust Mix. However, on my last trip to my local natural foods store, I puchased the last two mixes, and I need those for my Thanksgiving meal. Therefore, it leaves me without a mix to photograph and review for my site! Oh well . . .I used this mix with great success last year an would highly recommend it. I will at least have a review up in time for Christmas baking though. I am interested to see if this mix is as good as I remember.

In the meantime, I just had to review one of my favorite frozen food entrees:Â

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Amy’s Garden Vegetable Lasagna made with organic rice pasta and vegetables. I purchased this gluten free food product at my local Wegman’s Grocery Store for $4.99. This is perfectly portioned for one person, and I think it would make a great gluten free lunch product for work or school.

This is what it looked like straight from the freezer and removed from it’s colorful cardboard box. Not exactly impressive . . .

This Amy’s lasagna may be heated in the mircrowave for five minutes or baked in the oven for 35-40 minutes. If you have read my reviews, you probably know I tend to be impatient with these types of products, and I almost always choose the microwave version of warming and cooking. This was no exception. I heated the lasagna in my microwave for the full five minutes and let it cool for 3-4 minutes before digging in.

When it comes to lasagna, I usually like a hearty meat sauce with lots of cheese. That’s just my style and preference. However, this veggie version really surprised me. I loved it! The vegetables in this gluten free lasagna taste light, fresh and flavorful and balance perfectly with all of the ingredients. There is definately no hint of a processed or prepared taste. The overall flavor is not heavy and hearty in my opinion, it is light and flavorful.Â

This lasagna is very curious- all the tomato sauce is on the top, and the filling between the layers of rice pasta is just the veggies and ricotta. The rice noodles hold up well and taste great. They provide a nice backdrop for the ricotta and veggie medley without mushiness or pastiness. Yum! The tomato sauce on the top is just right- it isnt too sweet and compliments the rest of the ingredients.Â

I did notice that the token sprinking of cheese on the top diasppeared when I cooked the lasagna, and I couldn’t taste it at all, unlike the picture on the box. But then again, I don’t know of any frozen food products that look just like the box! I also noticed that the bottom layer of the lasagna appeared and tasted a bit watery/soggy, but it wasn’t such a problem that would keep me from buying this gluten free product again.

PROS: light, fresh, flavorful, perfect single portion size, orgamic ingredients

CONS: a bit watery at the bottom, more cheese on top would be nice

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy Amy’s Garden Vegetable Lasagne?

WellnessGrocer.com

OR:Â to check the frozen food section at your local grocery store

Ingredients: organic brown rice, organic rice pasta lasagne ( organic rice, four, water), ricoota cheese, organic onions, organic broccoli, organic zuchinni, organic carrots, organic peas, organic spinach, filtered water, parmesan cheese, spices, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic garlic, organic evaporated cane juice. (All cheese made without animal enzymes or rennet.)

To kick off my focus on gluten free frozen foods for this month, I just had to begin with an Amy’s product. To me, this line of frozenfood products has been a lifesaver while adjusting to a gluten free way of cooking and eating. Going gluten free often means more cooking from scratch with “new” ingredients. However, I don’t always have the time, energy, or desire to create a meal from square one. Amy’s gluten free frozen meals provided me a quick meal option that is fairly healthy when those rushed and tiring times came along.

One of the first Amy’s products I tried was the Amy’s Bowls Brown Rice & Vegetables with organic tofu. Each package contains one decent sized portion that may be cooked in the microwave or oven. Since the microwave only requires five minutes of cooking time ( and the oven requires a whopping 50 minutes!) I took the quick and easy route of zapping in my microwave.

Fresh from the freezer, this is what the Amy’s Brown Rice & Vegetable bowl looked like:

After cooking for five minutes in the microwave, I stirred the bowl and contents, and this was the result:

Overall, I found this product to be very flavorful and a great find. The vegetables (onions, miushrooms, broccoli, and carrots) semeed perfectly cooked and not too mushy. The flavor of the onion and mushrooms was especially yummy and strong. I liked how the broccoli spears were a nice, large size and still had a nice crunch to them.

The rice was slightly sticky and moist, with just a hint of added spices and tahini sauce that complimented the brown rice and vegetables, instead of competing with them. The tofu pieces are quite large, so I cute them into smaller pieces for more even distribution ( Plus, I am not a huge fan of tofu, so this helped in that regard.) In fact, the tofu absorbed the flavor of the rice bowl, so I hardly noticed the tofu was an ingredient. That was a huge “plus” for me.

Overall, I found this to be a hot and satisfying meal option that I will most likey purchase again.

PROS: tasty flavor and texture, vegetables cooked perfectly, great quick lunch option, lots organic ingredients

CONS: rather large pieces of broccoli, onion flavor may be too strong for some

Rating: 4 stars

Where can I purchase Amy’s Brown Rice & Vegetable Bowl?

Check your local grocery store’s frozen foods section- I know they are sold in Wegmans, Walmart, Giant and Weis in Pennsylvania.

See what IAteAPie.net , Elaine from WebMD has to say about this gluten free product!

Mmmmm, who doesn’t like a pizza that is quick and easy to prepare? I found this gem at my local grocery store in the natural foods department. For $5.99, I thought this Amy’s Cheese Pizza Rice Crust Made with Organic Rice Flour and Tomatoes was worth a try. It easily serves two to three people.

Fresh out of the box:

To jazz it up a bit, I added some onion, tomato, sharp cheddar, and basil to most of the pizza, leaving just one section plain cheese. I was curious to see how the crust supported extra toppings. Since my pizza stone was used for a gluten pizza, I opted for a foil lined pan for my baking experiment.

The pizza cooked up nicely in a solid 12 minutes; I found the cheese and crust cooked much quicker than the center. To prevent overbrowning, watch it closely as it bakes and cover the edges with foil if necessary. The edges were definately crispy.

The crust baked up crispy on the bottom with a softer center. It tasted of cornmeal and rice, a mild flavor. The crust was on the thicker side and was able to support whatever extra toppings you throw it’s way. The crust was a solid, decent gluten free pizza crust and is probably one of the more decent semi-thick pizza crust you’ll get from a premade frozen gluten free product, despite it’s somewhat mealy consistentcy and texture. However I wouldn’t consider it flavorful or especially yummy. I think I like my crust a little chewier.

As for the toppings, I actually liked the sauce. There was just enough of it for some flavor - it really balanced out this gluten free pizza so it was neither dry or mushy. It had more of a fresher taste with minimal sweetness. I suggest adding a bit of your own cheese for full coverage if you add your own toppings. The cheese tasted really good and melted quite nicely.

Overall, this is a decent pizza that’s great for a last minute pizza craving. Of course it is not as tasty or flavorful as homemade, but it is decent, especially if you add your own toppings.

PROS: substantial crust, great base for extra toppings, nice balance of mild flavors, organic ingredients,

Cons: Crust has a “gluten-free” taste, crust cooks quickly and has a mealy texture

Rating: 4 stars

Where Can I Buy This Rice Crust Pizza?

WellnessGrocer.com

INGREDIENTS : PART SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (WITHOUT ANIMAL ENZYMES OR RENNET), ORGANIC RICE FLOUR, ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SUNFLOWER SEED MEAL, TAPIOCA FLOUR, ORGANIC POTATOES, ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, EXPELLER PRESSEDHIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC HONEY, SEA SALT, ORGANIC RED ONIONS, YEAST, SOY LECITHIN, SPICES, ORGANIC GARLIC. CONTAINS MILK, SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND SOY.

Read what other sites and bloggers have to say about this pizzza!

CeliacFoodReviews.com

Sea at Book of Yum

Shannon at Digestive Diva

Sneako.com

Today I have a house of sick and grouchy kids, and a husband that is out of town on business ( not a good combination). After coaxing saltines and sips of Sprite and Pedialite, I needed something quick, filling, comforting, and naturally, gluten free for myself. The box of Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese in my freezer seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I believe I purchased this boxed and frozen product for $3.09 at my local grocery store.

The prep for this gluten free propduct couldn’t be easier. I popped it in the microwave for a total of six minutes, pausing after four minutes for a brief stir. I was also pleased to discover this product did not splatter and mess up my clean microwave. There’s nothing I hate more than food splatters that stink up the microwave! I admit, initially the mac and cheese looked pretty scary fresh from the box:

But the final product looked a bit more appetizing!

This product actually tasted pretty yummy! The noodles were great- soft, but firm enough to hold their shape with no mushiness. The sauce was fairly thick, and stuck to the noodles in little clumps here and there. However, the texure of the sauce was smooth, it just looked a bit clumpy because it was so thick. The flavor of the sauce was also quite satisfying- it tastes like a homemade cheese sauce- no artificial or processed flavors here! If you are looking for the thin, kraft-style sauce, this isn’t for you.

Overall, this Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese frozen product is a yummy product that has a nice homemade flavor. The ingredients are high quality and the portion size is perfect for one person. Add a salad or fruit and you have yourself a nice, satisfying meal in a matter of minutes. This product really fit my needs tonight- fast, tasty and filling. I must note, though, that part of the reason it was so filling was probaly due to the high fat/saturated fat content - 16 total grams of fat per serving- yikes! However for ocasional use, I will definately buy this product again.

PROS: Great flavor and texture

CONS: sauce is really thick; high saturated fat content ( 10 grams!)

Rating: 4 stars

Amy’s Rice Mac & Cheese may be purchased at most local grocery stores in the frozen foods section ( Wegmans, Walmart, Giant, Weis etc).

Ingredients: organic rice macaroni ( organic rice flour, water), organic lowfat milk, cheddar cheese, butter, rice flour, sea salt, annato. No trans fat, added MSG, no preservatives